Satsuki Eda, former Japanese upper house president, dies at 80

Satsuki Eda, former president of Japan's House of Councillors, died Wednesday of pneumonia at a hospital in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, lawmakers close to him said. He was 80.As a member of the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan, Eda became the first lawmaker from the party to preside over the upper house following the party's victory in the House of Councillors election in 2007, serving in the post for about three years.After the DPJ rose to power in 2009, Eda was appointed as justice minister in the government of Prime Minister Naoto Kan in January 2011 and later doubled as envi…READ FULL ARTICLE